Incorporating SHA-2 256 with OFB to realize a novel encryption method

Abstract

The SHA-2 hash function is used in many fields of security system such as digital signature, tamper detection, password protection and so on. SHA-2 is very important algorithm for integrity and authentication realization, SHA-2 is a one way algorithm to produce hash code of any message with 256 random hash bits (that's according to the version of SHA-2), which cannot be reversible, this property makes the hash function in general susceptible to breaking, and also the limitation of number of bits makes a probability of collision incidence. So, the hash code's merged with a kind of cryptography which is the stream cipher. The stream cipher mode of operation named Output Feedback (OFB) method combined with SHA-2 256 algorithm to produce encrypted hash code that can be reversible to achieve confidentiality. Implementation and simulation results of OFB based on SHA-2 256 algorithm obtained in LabVIEW project shows simplicity in modelling hash function algorithm generating hash codes encrypted by OFB method.